The Certified Inside Sales Professional

My last letter to you discussed the new Standards for Inside Sales. The AA-ISP is proud to administer these three certifications: the CISP®, AISM®, and ISOI™. My next three letters will drill into a bit more detail on each one.

The CISP® was designed out of necessity and feedback from our members. In their feedback, Inside Sales leaders reported struggling to manage inconsistent behaviors and outcomes in their reps. In one cube, a rep might have been great at prospecting but lacked presentation skills. Yet in the next cube, the rep was weak at prospecting. Feedback also indicated that while there was some good sales training available, there was not a comprehensive curriculum designed specifically for advancing the profession of Inside Sales. Furthermore, due to the rapid growth of Inside Sales, leaders reported that the bar for skills continued to rise as well. Finally, there was nothing available that actually tested reps on their ability to effectively use all the skills required. Lack of teaching, testing, and certification would be akin to allowing a 16-year-old to jump into the driver’s seat of a car and head out on the highway without any driving practice, and without passing a final road test to ensure their proficiency behind the wheel.

The CISP® was designed to provide a set of standard skills and competencies, a rigorous learning platform to teach and practice using them, and a final exam as proof that the rep is competent at using them in a true-to-life situation.

11 online courses cover all the skills required in today’s highly professional Inside Sales organizations. From pre-call research to prospecting, presenting, and closing, the content is designed for new and experienced reps alike.

A live sales scenario is set up for the final exam where the rep must effectively use what they learned in order to earn their certification.

Once a rep gains their CISP® certification, the learning doesn’t stop there. CSE (Continuing Sales Education) credits are required to make sure the rep maintains a mentality of lifelong learning. These credits can take the form of reading a book, watching a webinar, attending an in-house training, etc.

Much like the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) certification, I believe that someday all sales reps will need to have a type of certification in order to sell. After all, it’s sales and revenue that makes everything else happen. Without an order, companies large or small don’t exist. Not too many other professions you can say that about!

If you’re a leader of Inside Sales, strongly consider getting your team certified!